


Through Younger Eyes

by what_is_calm



Category: The Old Guard (Comics), The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Developing Relationship, M/M, World War I, talks of 9/11, young joe and nicky
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:01:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28138848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/what_is_calm/pseuds/what_is_calm
Summary: What if Joe and Nicky died while still looking young?~~Or, Joe and Nicky died in World War One at younger ages.TW: talks of 9/11 and hate crimes.
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Kudos: 65





	Through Younger Eyes

When the two died for the first time, it was 1915. It was in the midst of the First World War, Nicolo was 16, but forged his papers to say he was 18 to join the military and fight for Italy on the side of the Allied Powers. Yusuf was the son of Tunisian immigrants living in the Netherlands, he had just turned 18 and signed up to fight with the Allied Powers as well. 

Nicolo was killed for the first time at the First Battle of Isonzo, at the end of June. He realized it because he knew he’d been shot in the chest, but when he looked there was nothing there. Out of fear, he fled the battlefield and kept walking until he was too tired to stand and fell asleep in an alley way. While he slept, he dreamt of another man fighting along the Western front, in another dream he saw two women and frenchman fighting in France. 

Yusuf was killed for the first time during the Second Battle of Ypres at the end of May. He didn’t realize it when he died the first time, he had been shot in the leg and assumed he had just passed out from dehydration, when in reality he had died of blood loss. He had a hard time sleeping, so it was not till the end of June when he had a good enough rest that he was able to dream. He saw the two women and the Frenchman, then saw the Italian man who looked too young to be fighting in a war, but was anyway. 

Andy, Booker and Quynh eventually found Yusuf first, as they had all dreamed of the two young men fighting for what they thought was right. Andy had to knock him out in order to get him to go with them. He refused to believe what was happening until they had found Nicolo, who he had been seeing in his dreams. 

The two had an almost immediate connection, joking with each other in broken French or English until they had spoken enough to learn. The team took shelter in Sweden until the war ended, answering as many of the boys questions as they could. 

When Nicolo eventually let it slip that he had lied on his papers, and he was actually two years younger than the team had known, Quynh and Booker started to cry on the spot, he was so young, they had realized. Yusuf just hugged him tightly, refusing to let go for a long time. 

That was also the first night that they slept cuddled up against each other. As the Great War raged on beneath them, they both had the best nights sleep in a long time. 

~~

After two years, once Nicolo was actually 18, not that it really mattered, because Nicolo di Genova and Yusuf Al-Kaysani were legally dead. Nicolo had started going by Nico and Yusuf by Joseph. 

Joseph had decided to take Nico out for the night to celebrate, dancing in the street, drank and when they got back to the safe house, Nico worked up the courage to kiss Joe for the first time. 

Everyone had seen it coming, the way they looked at each other, talked to each other and they way they were around each other. From there on out, they were almost always together, unless separated by a mission.

They only tried going to school once, in the United States around 2000, they were not there long. After someone insulted Nico, now going by Nicky, Joseph, now Joe, had snapped at the person, threw a punch and the pair mysteriously disappeared the next day, never coming back. 

After the events of 9/11, they left America for a long time. Joe had been walking home from getting groceries one day when some people (white of course), took it upon themselves to beat him up. He was fine in the end, but Nicky insisted that they leave after Joe came back to the safe house, covered in blood and broken eggs. 

~~

Then came 2020 and Nile, she was confused when she entered the house and saw two teenagers talking in the kitchen. They greeted her with smiles and open arms, and then when they had the conversation at dinner they explained to her the story of how Nicky lied about his age and how they met up later. 

When they’re captured, Copley hesitates, how could these two be immortal? But then they killed all the guards in the van with their hands tied and he realized how dangerous they were. Merrick and Kozak, didn’t hesitate though. If anything they were even more brutal because of their younger faces. 

The doctor ordered x-ray after x-ray and multiple lobotamies to see what was happening in their brains, if they were matured or not. 

While they had still lived over a hundred years, Andy, Quynh and Nile were very protective of the two. When the rescue came, they stopped at nothing to free them. When Nicky and Joe got trapped in the room alone with Keane, he underestimated them. The two knocked out the man and ran to find Andy, Quynh and Nile. Booker still got his banishment though.

They often get in trouble for looking younger, asked why they aren’t in school. They tend to forget that they look much younger than they feel, until someone looks into their eyes and sees the ghosts.


End file.
